[Santos "Shadow" Almaz]

Ah the Residential District, home to almost every local person and often becoming the home of people who loved what Harmonia Island stood for. Harmony between Humans and Pokemon. Many were there from the original project that created Mavro city others came because of building the academy and stayed there because it was a great place and some like Santos were born there. Santos was part of the first generation of true Harmonian people who were born on the island.

As Santos walked through the familiar residential streets, People who owned or lived in the homes came and went many saying hi to Santos as they knew him. Santos being polite just lightly greeted his neighbors. He didn't bare ill-will against people in his neighborhood. He knew this was just as much as their home as it was his. What Santos didn't really like was foreigners or people who didn't consider this their home and didn't treat it as such but most of the time they didn't have a reason to come around the Resident District usually hanging around the academy, the business district or Downtown Mavro which was the big hub of the island.

Santos hummed in his younger years he didn't feel the need to walk around town but in recent years with the up surge of crime Santos just felt he needed to take at least a daily walk just to make sure no troublemakers decided to make trouble on his turf. It would be good to develop a rep of a crime buster in his own home town after all it was good training for his pokemon

---

#Open to all

[Kotone Kato]

"No, Tae, this isn't for you!" Kotone scolded her Deino, stumbling here and there trying not to step on the little Pokemon. Or, rather, the bratty little Pokemon. Since moving into the Academy, Kotone hadn't had a chance to go shopping, not that she really needed to considering that most of her necessities were provided for her, but every now and then a grocery run was unavoidable. So here she was, taking a shortcut through the residential district back to the Academy, juggling her grocery bags in her arms and tripping over Tae at the same time, not the easiest way to get home. While Kotone knew what the Deino wanted, she needed to teach him that he couldn't just whine and grouse and expect everything to fall in his lap. Although, when he succeeded in knocking her down, the pink-haired girl accepted that maybe the lesson should be saved for another day.

Sighing heavily, she picked up the paper bag nearest to her and began gathering the groceries that had spilled out. Toothpaste, tissues, some snacks... Did she care that Tae had torn open the cookie box and was eating everything inside? Not particularly. He wouldn't stop even if she asked, and she had more pressing matters to deal with. While one of the bags had survived the fall, the other now had a huge tear running down the side and curving around the bottom. It wouldn't be able to hold anything long enough for her to get back to her dorm, and none of her Pokemon were big enough to help carry the load. Maybe I should just throw it away, Kotone mulled over her options. I mean, do I really need that much food?

Then, after swift consideration, she decided that yes, she did need all of it. Especially if Tae kept getting hungry in the middle of the night, as was now practically tradition. So, with disheartened frown, Kotone continued gathering her things, using her shirt as a makeshift bag and hoping that she would be able to get back to the Academy without any further mishaps.

[Santos "Shadow" Almaz]

Santos hummed as he was walking around. His eyes happened to catch sight a familiar pink haired, amber eye girl with glasses around his age. It was Kotone. She too was a local and she seemed to be struggling by carrying some stuff in her shirt. Why she was carrying it in her shirt Shadow didn't really know but it was kinda funny to see her struggle.

A pokeball rocked and Candle trilling was heard

Santos hummed "what Candle."

More trilling was heard

"what you want me to help her?" Santos stated as if the idea was below him

Candle trilled in agreement.

Santos hummed "do I really have to?" He muttered

Candle chirped in a tone of reprimanding.

Santos sighed "alright alright... I'll go help her." He sighed and walked over to Kotone "Yo, Kotone, could ya use some help? You seem to be struggling there."

[Kotone Kato]

Kotone's eyes widened as she balanced her load precariously in her arms, Tae still munching on cookie crumbs as he marched next to her. She remembered Santos, having talked to him occasionally whenever she bumped into him around town, but was surprised to see him, especially since he had left the Academy. But, she decided to let sleeping dogs lie; if he was offering to help her, she was definitely going to take him up on that.

"Yeah, that would be great!" She smiled gratefully and motioned for him to grab the filled paper bag. She would keep the rest of it in the dip in her shirt since it was easier than having him grab them all. "Thanks so much. But, how have you been? I haven't seen you around lately."

[Santos "Shadow" Almaz]

Santos carefully took the bag and held it in his arms as he would walk with Kotone.

"Eh I'm cool for the most part." Santos answered Kotone's question "I've been drifting around trying to find odd jobs to do but it seems my youth and dropping out of the academy doesn't look good on a resume and most companies today want someone my age at least still in the academy." He groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Funny how things that seem like a good idea to save your sanity at a time end up biting you in the behind later."

[Kotone Kato]

Kotone smiled kindly. "Yeah, I can imagine," she said. "It must be pretty tough though, surviving on your own right as a teenager. I know I wouldn't be able to do it. But," the pink-haired girl glanced him over, noting that Santos looked about as healthy as ever. "I guess you've been making doing well making ends meet. Speaking of which, where do you work?"

[Santos "Shadow" Almaz]

Santos hummed, he really didn't want to tell Kotone he got interested into Team Origin and signed up with them given that the academy and the city authorities had gone on record that they were against Team Origin heck he hasn't even told his parents that he applied to Team Origin. So he decided to make a believable excuse as it was for the most part true "My parents were more then willing to have me crash in my old room while I look for work. I pay them a little money now and then to support the household from odd temp jobs I get. They say I don't need to pay because I'm their son but out of pride I make sure I pay something to them." He sighed "this week I don't have a job but who knows what will become in the future." He hummed "The term just started didn't it?" He asked Kotone

[Kotone Kato]

"Yeah, it did," Kotone replied, a thoughtful look on her face. "You know, you could always come back to the Academy. I mean, nothing much has happened yet, so I'm sure that the headmaster will allow you to reenroll. Not to mention that it might be a better choice. You could have meet new people, move out of the house, and build up some connections so that when you graduate and start looking for a job, it'll be easier. I mean, it would be nice to have you back. It's kind of weird going to school without seeing you around," she laughed softly. "Especially since we've been classmates since kindergarten."

[Santos "Shadow" Almaz]

Santo inhaled and exhaled. He had been a good student for the most part and the headmaster had been somewhat surprised that Shadow suddenly decided to drop out at the end of last year. Heck he wouldn't be surprised if one of his more nosy teachers would come poking around asking questions on why Santos dropped out. The reasons he gave to the headmaster was because he didn't feel like he could handle being in the academy and he told his parents that living at the academy was nerve wracking and he rather not go back. His parents accepted his reason and allowed him to drop out and come back home.

Santos gritted his teeth at the thought of having to live at the dorms again but then an idea hit him. Was it really necessary for him to 'live' at the academy. I mean he's a local, he was born and raised in a nearby neighborhood. He could attend classes on a regular basis and still have a place that was his that was safe away from others he could not trust or didn't like. Why did he have to live in the dorms I mean was it really required that he live there. Couldn't he live off campus why wasn't that option offered for locals like Santos.

Santos hummed "yeah I kinda miss that myself. It would be kinda nice to run into you more often." He then decided to change the subject "So where are we going with this exactly." He asked as he shuffled the bag he was carrying to clarify a direction. "and I thought food came with living with the academy because they have a massive cafeteria."

[Kotone Kato]

"It would be," Kotone agreed, flashing her companion a bright smile. "We don't talk nearly enough. And, well, even though the cafeteria is a bonus of attending the Academy, it's nice to eat some home cooked meals every now and then. But, also," she glanced down at Tae who was trotting next to her, head held high with a smug grin on his face. The Deino was obviously too proud of his own misdemeanor. "Tae is always hungry, and he likes waking me up in the middle of the night for snacks and what not. But, since the cafeteria closes after dinner, I thought it might be for the best to stock up on some food for him so he won't have to try and sleep on an empty stomach anymore."

Making a right turn, Kotone saw the gates of the Academy up ahead. Too caught up in their casual exchange, she had barely noticed that they were at her destination, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia as she realized that she would have to say goodbye.

"Well, this is it then, I guess," she smiled. "Thanks so much for your help! I can take it from here, after all, I'm sure you have other things you'd rather be doing, so I won't waste your time any longer."

[Santos "Shadow" Almaz]

Santos hummed "You sure you can handle it? I don't have anything else I'm really doing just drifting about, walking around..." He looked at the gates "let's just act like a couple of students and just walk in and if we get stopped, we get stopped but I'm sure they won't bother us after all we just look like a pair of teens carrying groceries."

[Kotone Kato]

"Are you sure?" Kotone bit her lower lip, thinking it over carefully. True, the chances of them being caught was slim to none, especially since not many people walked around campus at this time of day. But if they were caught... The idea of suffering any potential repercussions caused a shiver to run, unbidden, down Kotone's spine. But, as she considered the pros and cons of each decision, she decided to just roll with it. "Alright," she agreed, walking past the large, ornate gates. "But, truthfully, we don't just look like a pair of teens carrying groceries. We look like a pair of weird teens carrying groceries."

[Santos "Shadow" Almaz]

Santos chuckled "that's not new to me. I've always been known as the weird kid on the block." He followed Kotone. Not really caring that if someone stopped them or not.

[Kotone Kato]

While Santos sauntered in without a care in the world, Kotone was still a little worried about what would happen if a staff member were to see them. Surely, since Santos wasn't wearing a school uniform, they would stand out like a sore thumb. But, she supposed it was too late to back out now, and instead took a deep breath, trying to create an air of confidence, but failing rather miserably, although she did smile at Santos. "I can't argue with that. There was always some rumor going around about you in school before you dropped out."

[Santos "Shadow" Almaz]

Santos smirked slightly "heh," He replied "I would be surprised if they didn't and I'm sure there's going to be other rumors to but they are all going to be untrue for the most part." He hummed "so what dorm are you in anyhow?"